Embodiments of the present disclosure describe servers having thermal management features and thermal management systems for servers. These embodiments include heat sinks to be thermally coupled by one or more heat pipes to transfer heat from hotter downstream heat sinks to cooler upstream heat sinks in order to distribute thermal loading across multiple devices. In one embodiment a single heat pipe may be used to thermally couple two heat sinks, whereas in other embodiments a modular heat pipe arrangement may be used. Techniques for thermally coupling modular heat pipes to one another such that vapor sections of adjacent heat pipes overlap are also disclosed. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.